Underscoring that the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships is far greater than just a sporting event, former Kingston College (KC) triple jump standout and Olympian Clive Pullen pointed out on Thursday that it is a launching pad for youngsters to lead lives worthy of admiration.

Today, Pullen is a track and field coach, but according him, had he not chosen that path he possibly could have been a top computer programmer working with a major international company. He shared that it was the athletics scholarship he received from University of Arkansas in the United States that gave him viable options and it all emanated from his participation at the annual championships held at National Stadium in St Andrew.

Pullen, who was part of a team of talent scouts from Kansas State University at the stadium for day three of the championships, said it was very important for young athletes to recognise that there is life to be lived after sports.

“I went to the University of Arkansas where I studied computer engineering. To me, growing up in a household where both parents were educators, education was a huge part of life. I grew up playing cricket, soccer, and I ran track all the way through elementary and high school. In my household, if my grades started dropping, there would be no sports. Balancing was a huge deal.

“When you get to college on a scholarship, it is basically a free degree. Don’t go and do nonsense. Do something worth your time. We know track and field is a very ungrateful sport. You could slip and fall down the stairs and you get an injury that ends your career. Do a degree that is worth something so if your cards aren’t played to your liking, you have a plan that is worthwhile. Had it not been for coaching, I would have been an engineer probably coding for Google or Apple,” he told the
Jamaica Observer.

Pullen described himself as a huge advocate for the collegiate system in the United States, having been a product of it. According to him, when he was considering whether or not it was a good move to take up a sports scholarship in the United States, there was a “huge stereotype” and had he not been strong headed, he could have been prevented from realising his dream.

“People would tell you don’t go overseas, because they’ll burn you out and a whole lot of stuff. But each person should experience it for themselves. I think I have been fortunate throughout my development from a junior all the way through to being a professional athlete, an Olympian, and now a coach in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) system. I have just been fortunate to have had good, solid people around me,” he said.

“Travis Geopfert, who was my coach, was that main guy who took a chance with me. I am from humble beginnings. I got over there and was steadfast to my craft and honed in on what I was about. I didn’t get lost on the tracks and I was very focused. I had a goal and I was adamant that I had to attain that goal. For me, having done what I did at the high school level and then going on to become NCAA champion and ultimately making the Olympic team and making two World Championship teams while I was in college, I really paved a way for other youngsters like Carey McLeod, Wayne Pinnock, Jaydon Hibbert, and those guys who grew up in high school looking up to me. To be able to help pioneer that type of path and have those guys follow suit and to see where those guys are at now, it is just a testament to the opportunity,” Pullen added.

Meanwhile Geopfert, who is leading the team of scouts, said he has been to Jamaica 41 times and considers himself very fortunate to be in a position to help youngsters change their lives.

On Thursday, his gaze set on the young athletes, Geopfert told the Observer that he and his colleagues have already signed Rohanna Sudlow of St Catherine High and St Jago High School’s Jade-Ann Dawkins.

“I have been really fortunate. Since 2010 I have come to Champs every year. I came back for national trials and other times. I have been fortunate to coach a lot of Jamaican athletes over the years, Clive Pullen being one of them. It is awesome now for both of us to be coaching side and side and watching how he has evolved. He is just one example of many,” Geopfert said.

“I recruited him back in 2012 and gave him a scholarship and he had the opportunity to come to school and get his degree, but has found what his passion is in life. For him, that’s coaching. He and I coached together when he was just a volunteer and then he got his first full-time coaching job and now he has moved on with it, that is just one fantastic example and then you look at other athletes over the years,” he said.

“I have been fortunate to coach a lot of great athletes over the years, like Wayne Pinnock, Jaydon Hibbert, Kemar Mowatt, Kemoy Campbell, and that’s just to name a few,” he added.

“But then, to watch these guys get their college degrees and then go on and have amazing lives is awesome. Aleen Bailey, one of my first Jamaicans I ever coached, she has a great job and a family in New York now. Champs gives these kids a great opportunity not just to showcase their talents on the track but to get a degree and find their passion in life beyond track and field. For everyone, at some point, sport ends, at least the competitive side of it. So the opportunity is super rewarding. I am talking about guys that have become engineers and attorneys, so it’s just awesome to come down here and help them start their adult lives,” Geopfert said.